Spanish joint operation nabs suspected jihadists

The Spanish interior ministry announced Wednesday a joint operation with authorities in Germany and Belgium to arrest five individuals suspected of forming an “active and dangerous” Islamic State cell.

One Moroccan and four Spaniards were detained in operations carried out in Brussels, Barcelona and Melilla in Spain, and Wuppertal, Germany, according to the ministry report.

The report added the five had “formed a cell with a perfectly organized structure, following the dictates of the terrorist organization DAESH.”

According to the ministry report, the detainees are suspected of using social media to facilitate Islamist attacks, namely through a Facebook page titled “Islam en Español” (Islam in Spanish), which had over 32,000 followers and mainly used Spanish to communicate ISIL propaganda.